Motivation

I'd like to start this thread specifically for women who are 50 or over.

As a 53 year-old woman, myself, I am finding new challenges, unexpected difficulties and wonderful insights on my path to getting to and maintaining my health, weight and body shape.

What seemed to work for me as little as five years ago doesn't work quite the same anymore. My body doesn't seem to respond to what I consider healthy eating habits and good workout schedules as it even in my middle to late 40s'.

SO, I am would to hear from those out there who are finding themselves in situations. OR NOT, maybe you can enlighten the rest of us as to how you keep your shape, or how you're getting into better shape and a healthier overall lifestyle.

Hopefully this will be the start of something wonderful, educational, funny-offer up jokes anecdotes, whatever!

LET'S GET STARTED!

bonton, your daughter gave up on that eharmony site?  lol  hey, you never know, i guess...  i'm sure it works for some people.  i wouldn't want to do it that way though anyway.  yeah, if i were to choose, i'd have kept at least some of the boobs & got rid of this belly instead.  it's kind of a joke from God or something.  LOL  you gotta go all the way & not just quit before you get to the end!  that would be awesome if we could choose where the weight would come off!  maybe more people would actually WANT to lose weight then.  :D

ohio, that's funny!  using up all your good shots on practice...  i don't golf, but i used to do that bowling.  you'll get better & practice is good anyway.

southern, i walked already.  i used to always walk in the morning & it's just been so hard getting started lately, but i walked for 40 minutes & i'm heading out now for another 20 at least.  i'll decide how long one step at a time.  i'm thinking another 40 would be awesome.  i really miss walking with hubby.  :(

awesome!!!  191.8?!  you are almost out of the 190's forever!!!  :D  i still need to buy smaller weights to walk with.  maybe later...  i could use the 3 lb & just not move my arms around, i guess.

i live near canada & it's funny, but it's so much nicer over there in niagara falls too!  the US side isn't that great.  we haven't crossed over in a long time though.  we used to go there alot.

Hi all, great reading the updates this morning. Everyone is so busy!

I am doing an experiment and if it works you might give it a go, Beth, if that awful plateau does in fact show up after all in the 180's. Congrats by the way! You are doing fantastic. Your dedication at 6 am is inspiring.

I read a bunch of stuff about certain weight loss "boosters" and the like but nothing seemed very definitive so I am conducting my own clinical trial of a Jamieson Laboratories Natural Health Product: Super Apple Cider Vinegar tablets. Jamieson Labs is a well known and respected vitamins company, maybe they are only available in Canada, not sure. This product looked harmless (safe) and if it works to speed up metabolism even a bit I shall be happy. It contains apple cider vinegar extract, green tea extract, and citrus aurantium extract primarily. Says it contains an added botanical fat burner. I don't know about that but we will see. That's what I'm interested in, speeding the process up a bit. I am wanting faster results if possible. 

I am taking 1 at breakfast, 1 at lunch and 2 at supper. You can have up to 6 a day it says. Cost was low, only $7 for 90 tabs. If it is all bogus or all good I'll be happy to report my findings either way. I am fairly good about maintaining my calories so that should help keep the trial on track and fair.

Hope you all have an amazing day and upcoming US holiday next week. I'm taking next week off work to use up some old vacation days but hanging close to home and cleaning out some closets. Helene put the bug in my ear! I was thinking about her. She didn't say goodbye. Busy I guess.

-Bex

Well I survived the wedding.  It was a crazy busy weekend, but my daughter is now married and everything is back to normal.

I did try the 'sunless tanning'.  Basically you get into this booth and they spray you with a dye that reacts with your skin.  The top of me came out good, but I had a drip down the sides of my legs that resulted in a stripe!  I had to use bleach to get rid of it.  My daughter did it at a different place where an attendant sprayed her.  Hers came out better.

The day of the wedding we had to get up at 4:30 a.m. and drive down to Dana Point to my daughter's hotel room.  We had a stylist come to do hair and make up for the bride, bridesmaids and me.  Two of the bridesmaids were my stepdaughters (15 and 19 years old) so I was busy getting everyone ready.  So busy that I put my shoes on the wrong feet and didn't have time to wonder why they hurt so much until halfway through the reception!  But it was a great wedding and my daughter looked beautiful.  I got a bunch of compliments too.

The wedding was my reason to start trying to lose weight, but I am not going to stop now.  I have learned some things on this journey.  I know that I can control my weight, I have no excuses.  I know that I feel so much better when I am in better shape that it is worth the pain of having to go to boot camp.  And I still have 50 pounds to go to hit my ideal weight.  I intend to get there

Midwife:  I suspect there is something to your theory.  I had a huge plateau going when I hit the upper 180s.  I was in the lower 180s for years.  If you figure that I now have more muscle then I did then, I will bet my BMI was just about the same as it was back then.  I was stuck for almost 4 months, I think I am moving out of it now, but the wedding put 2 pounds back on me, so I have to get rid of them now.

Bonton:  Tell your daughter not to give up.  I met my husband online.  (But then we are both geeks so where else would we meet?)  It can work.  Perhaps she needs to be more patient.  It takes a while

 -Carol

rebbex, i don't do pills & since i am soooooo close to my goal, i especially wouldn't start taking them now.  it sounds really cool though, if it works!  good luck with that experiment!  :D

clharr, that's cool.  the wedding is over & your daughter is married now.  lol  i know how things can get so hectic!  that sucks...  you got a stripe?  and had to use bleach to get rid of it?  did it match after using the bleach?

LOL  that's a long time to have your shoes on the wrong feet & never even realize it.  i'm glad you're not quitting on the losing weight now that the wedding is over & that was your main reason for it.

i've learned so much here & i feel so much better now, too.  especially today!  i was down to 140.2!!!  almost 139!!!  almost...  almost...  i'm not gonna do anything to screw this up.  i should be 139 tomorrow for sure!  finally!!!  i'll be out of the 140's forever!!!  oh yeah, i'm excited.  :D  i'm so excited i can't hardly stand it.

yesterday, hubby was telling his sis in law that i weigh 137.  lol  i guess he's fine with me losing now then.

Bex- apple cider vinegar is supposed to be good for arthritis - don't know if you have aches and pains or not LOL - I tried drinking it for a while  cause a bunch of ppl at my gym drink it with water for aches and pains but I couldn't stick with it and wasn't sure if it really helped - it just tasted tooooo bad to continue! LOL let me know how the pills go.

carol- I'm so glad your wedding went well!! But LOL your shoes on the wrong feet that long and a stripe??!!  oh my. I'm glad you want to continue losing and hang in there with us on this site! Exercise truly  does make you feel better even if you don't lose weight! I feel horrible if I don't exercise. Post a pic of your wedding!

snow and carol- I tried to talk my daughter into a year with eHarmony - I was going to pay - but she doesn't want to do it so I'll just have to keep praying about this! She's interested in 1 of the guys at work - he was actually interested in her when she first got her job but she didn't want to just get hired and start dating ppl at the office -  - anyways now he has a girlfriend so.... she's hoping that won't last! LOL I don't know why it has to be so hard for her to find someone -  when she was younger and it may have been easier to meet someone but she wasn't ready to date - it took her  a long while to get over the death of her boyfriend of 8 years ( he was killed when a tree fell on him during a storm while camping)

snow - hope you make your 139 goal!! I hit another new low yesterday 122.2! Oh I so badly want to get below 120 but I have been a little lax about my diet lately - not over in calories just not always the best choices...I WILLtry to do better! LOL

ohio- So true about using up good shots! LOL I'll go out the day before league and play really well then league rolls around and I go like whose game is this! LOL Practice your short game - that's how I lowered my score and my handicap. I'm not an exceptionally long hitter but I am deadly up close - like my average putts are about 12-15 for 9 holes! When I first started I would go and chip and putt on the practice green for 30-60 min - like chip to a hole until I got 3 balls in a hula hoop range  etc and then I would putt 3 balls from 3 ft until I made all of them - then I'd move back to 6 ft until I made all three etc. It might help you lower your score. Enjoy your visit with your daughter!!

My new washing machine is wonderful - so quiet and the clothes are so much drier when they come out it cuts the drying time in half!

My grandson was supposed to come today but my daughter txt'd me at 11pm last night - he is sick temp 102.3 - I'd bet he has an ear infection as he has had fluid in his ears for weeks. They put him on claritin which doesn't seem to be helping - I hope he doesn't end up needing tubes - he's had a bunch of ear infections.  He's had a very tight cough too and just yesterday I told her to call about his cough - it sounds like an asthma cough to me. They are in a golf tournament tomorrow so I'll probably go over there to keep him so he doesn't have to get hauled around while sick.

robbie - any news on your son's job interview??

Everyone - stand tall, eat like a thin person work out like an athlete, and have a great day!!!

Greetings from the great white north!

Bon and Snow-I could never stand the thought of drinking the vinegar either. The tablets have a faint vinegar odor but they are easy to swallow. My mom has a bit of arthritis so I imagine I am prone to developing it at some point. If these tabs reduce that likelihood I am all for it. I am so NOT a pill taker, for anything, but this is a limited time experiment and I'll press on until it proves ineffective. I was intrigued by the combination of ingredients, especially with the green tea extract as I felt I was retaining water with these horrid hormonal imbalances. The melons are ripe! I have to say, I believe I have been expelling more fluid the last couple of days. Checked my weight mid week, which I don't usually do, and the scale is moving down! Snow, I genuinely feel your excitement and you make me smile. So, so happy for you, and Bon, when you crack 120, we'll be there cheering for you. Yours is a weight I cannot even contemplate. I think I might have weighed 120 when I was 10.

clharr - what a beautiful kitty! Yours? All I have to say is any woman who can get compliments while her shoes are on the wrong feet and pinching her is QUITE A WOMAN! Congratulations on pulling off a successful wedding. No small feat.  I bet you looked beautiful. 

Very happy this morning that my daughter sold her condo last night. FINALLY. The real estate market has been so soft and the city is flooded with property for sale. She ended up selling it to the same couple that bought her last condo a couple of years ago. Weird coincidence. They collect properties for renting. My daughter buys old properties and renovates them to gorgeous. Does much of the work herself. It's a part time hobby she enjoys. I don't know how she has the strength but she pulls it off at 118 pounds soaking wet.

Wishing you all a wonderful and successful day! 

-Bex

Thanks everyone for the congratulations.  Now that I have two married daughters, I had better have a grandkid soon! 

I have seen a few pictures of me from the wedding, and I hate them.  But then I always hate pictures of me.  I look old!!!  Maybe I am old, but I can forget that until I see a picture.  Then there is no escaping it. 

I have a new goal.  To be overweight!  If I lose 4 more pounds I won't be obese any longer.  I just have to get under 180.  That would also get me to 25 pounds lost and possibly into a size 12.  Sounds great to me.

Bonton:  Sorry to hear about your grandson.  My sisters and I used to get ear infections every summer from water in the ear when we went swimming.  Then a doctor told my mother to put alcohol in our ears when we got out of the pool.  It burns a bit, but we never got another infection.  If the water is from swimming, you might want to try doing this.

Rebbex:  My kitty looks like this, but she is 20 years old and not as cute.  I just got this one off the net because it looked like her.  Congratulations to your daughter on the condo.  I have been fixing up my house and I know it is a lot of work.  Let us know how that booster works.  If you can get it in Canada, I will bet I can find it on the net.  I am just worried about caffeine.  Most weight loss pills have it.

Good luck all!

 

-Carol

My grandson just got home from the Dr - he has a viruswhich caused ulcers in his throat and he has a mild ear infection ( #9 infection). They finally listened to my daughter about his cough - it sounded like an asthma cough to me and I was going to his next appt with her to insist they do something to ck it - but this time the Dr listened and put him on Singulair. Also ordered an ultrasound of his adenoids because he snores too. He's feeling really miserable so our visit is out this weekend. My daughter and son-in-law are in a golf tournament tomorrow so I will go over there to keep him.

ok out to mow the grass!! LOL

Congratulations on the wedding Clharr...sigh....let me know when you get grandkids. 

I want a grandbaby so bad I can't stand it.

Company comes on Saturday...I will be cooking big dinners all the time and food everywhere. Not sure what the outcome will be for me diet wise. Guess I will enjoy the company and just try to do my best.

 

Frost: For me, when I do all the cooking, I actually do better because I control what's in it. You may find yourself so busy chatting you forget to eat--well, I admit, that's never happened to me, but I bet it does to some people :-)

Bonnie: No word yet on the job--worrisome, but at least it's not a "no."  Your grandson made me remember when my younger son was about 4. Everyone thought he was just ignoring our helpful instructions, but it turned out he had plugged ears and couldn't hear.

Carol: I love the shoe story. Once, when I was about 8 months pregnant, I was in a hurry to get to the airport with no maternity stockings in sight. I used an regular pair of panty hose but rolled them down below my belly. Of course,  they kept falling down so I was literally waddling down the walkway to the plane tugging "discreetly" to try to hold them up.

Bex: Congrats on the scale going in the right direction, regardless why.

Ohio: Is the practice shot deal sort of the reverse of the situation where someone says something awful and six hours later you think of the perfect rejoinder? Always too early or too late, huh?

Snow: I made it up this a.m and got that workout in. You are my role model for persistence paying off. I may even adjust my goal downward to below 120--something I haven't seen since 2001.

Beth: How was the Rio Grand Valley? IF my son gets the job, they might send him to San Antonio, which would be perfect since his life goal is "to live where it's warm and they have dark skinned girls." Typical 23 year old male: sounds like the losers Bonnie's daughter met on e-Harmony, doesn't it?

My husband tore his bicep muscle off at the bone Monday lifting weights, and he has to have surgery within three weeks. Pretty scarey for him, so keep him in your thoughts.

Gotta go work; good day all.

bex & bon, i thought apple cider vinegar was good for weight loss, but i didn't want to say anything in case i was wrong.  i'm still curious about them pills though.  :D

bonton,  wow!  you even offered to pay for her to try eharmony for a year?  oh well, i guess she just didn't like her experiences with them, and she likes a guy at work who has a gf?  bummer.  that's really sad about her old bf.  i guess that would be hard to get over.

hey!  i pee'd again this morning & went down to 139.6!!!  LOL  i saved it on my scale.  it's mine!!!  i'm wondering now if it would actually be possible to hit 138 tomorrow.  probably not, but i have been really good today.  :D  i got my A & i walked alot, so i have a 900 calorie deficit.  i am soooooo hoping for 138 now, but we'll see.  the scale doesn't always keep up! 

clharr, i'm sure you look awesome!  i hate my pics too.  LOL  not because i'm old though, i always did.  i remember how exciting it was to be "overweight"!!!  i was soooooo happy!!!  it's alot better than moderately obese.  hubby was morbidly obese.

frost, enjoy your company!  that's the most important!  :D  worry about healthy eating after they go, unless they want to eat healthy too.

robbie, i love that story about the pantyhose!  LOL  i can just picture that...  the things we do somethimes...  :D

awesome!  i'm glad that i got you going this morning.  i still don't see myself as a role model or anything, but yeah!  persistence does pay off!  i still need to push myself to get started.  i'm just soooo lazy & i soooo love junk, but it's really neat to see how awesome you look & feel when you eat better & exercise. 

WOW!  your hubby tore his bicep muscle right off at the bone?  that must really suck...  :(

at least you are almost 120!  :D  if you would be really good for a week, you'd probably get below 120.  congrats on the 122.2 AND the new washer!  i hope your grandson will be ok soon & not need tubes.

 

I'm watching Nemo for the third time today! My grandson hasn't felt well enough to do anythingpoor little guy has a mouth full of ulcers and they are in his throat too. While he took his nap i cleaned LOL everytime I come here i am cleaning while he sleeps - can't sit still. I cleaned her whole kitchen and did 3 loads of laundry LOL. We watched Charlotte's web 2x too LOL

snow - LOL you sound like me - if it says it once I jump off! and say that's what I weighed!

carol - do any of us like our pictures??!! I'm sure you looked wonderful!

robbie - How did your hubby tear his bicep? was the weight too heavy he was lifting ?? sounds painful and I'm sorry to hear he has to have surgery. The one loser she met on eHarmony wanted to go get their hair done together????!! Told her she'd look nice with red highlights and did she want to go together to get their hair done LOL....NOT! LOL about the panty hose story!

frost - Have a great visit!! You need to hook up your son with my daughter - LOL - she needs a husband and you want a grandbaby!! LOL

Bonnie: Apparently this injury occurs to 1 in 100,000 people, usually men over 40 doing curls. Tom's very strong (he was a wrestler and has stayed fanatic about training), so I think it was just a very unlucky break. I keep telling him he's a high performance machine: beautiful to watch but always in the shop! The surgery is July 11, so he'll be out on his motorcycle getting his "last rides" in all weekend.

When my boys were little, I confess I liked it when they were sick; it was the only time they let me hold them!

Snow, I can sometimes make the scale go down by moving it to another tile, but then I feel too guilty to use the lower number, like I was cheating or something.

My weight has not gone down since I broke 130, which is discouraging (I actually weighed 106 when Tom and I got married--but that was BK and BM--before kids and before menopause. I used to run 4-6 miles a day: where did I ever find the time and the discipline?)

Is everyone out enjoying the long days?

Hi everyone!

 

I know I know, I have't come to visit for a while  Lots of stress and other anxities going on in my life.  Have to go to court with my son on Monday, my dad is having problems with his prostrate-and he's almost 90.  And well, I've found myself keeping to myself.

 

Just had my yearly physical, and I am still at 131.  I have been between 133 -131 for ages.  I have been stuck there.

What do others do when they hit this plateau?

My emotional plate is very full, and when I get stressed it disturbs me eating patterns.  And even my gym patterns. 

I'll not give up, not me.  It's just frustrating with all this I am doing not to see a change in the numbers.

So, I'll go back and try and catch up on what's been going on around here.

take care, dear, beautiful ladies

 

renee

robbie I know what you mean about them being sick and getting held - yesterday when he woke from his nap crying I got him and curled up in the rocker with him - he fell back asleep on me for 30 min! It was wonderful! But I'd rather have him healthy. Poor little guy kept saying ouch when he took a drink. Hopefully this virus will run it's course quickly! He stayed dry all day for me - "peeing in the potty" - I told my daughter she needs to get more consistent with him - she could have him potty trained.

 My hubby was a  wrestler too! But alas ... I have to drag him to the gym with me LOL! He's fine after he gets there but getting him there is another story. He needs a lifting partner besides me! LOL He was much more faithful when he was lifting with a buddy. Our gym is kind of crappy too - they don't always put the air conditioning on - so it gets quite hot in there in the summer and then with his asthma he can't breathe so he usually takes all summer off. Small town - not a lot of options for gyms

We are both playing in a golf tournament today - his game has been on fire lately and mine has been in a slump- we started the season the opposite LOL so I hope that I play respectably!

one  I think it's very hard to lose weight when you are emotionally drained - too hard to concentrate on the meal planning etc. Wait it out until you are less stressed... and try to maintain where you are now.

Everyone have a great day!!!

Hi One - I just want to say thanks for starting the group, and also sorry that things are off the rails in your life right now. If you had jumped on the scale and had seen the numbers go down it probably would have lessened your load, but isn't it always the way? It never rains but it pours? I wish I had some advice to give you about the plateaus. They sill baffle me. Mathematically, scientifically, they make no sense, so they must be emotionally driven. I think some of it is also a bit of fluid imbalance in the female body. I am trying out a natural product as you have probably read, to see if it boosts the metabolism, but so far I have to say the jury is still out having coffee.

I went for blood tests and a cardiogram yesterday. I had noticed a few irregular heart beats and being a former cardiac nurse, figured they were PVC's. They can be benign, and even normal in athletes. I am no athlete. In women of a certain age, they are more likely indicative of something foreboding. I was hoping they would catch one of the PVC's on the EKG strip, which in fact they did. So, I fear this is only the beginning of many more medical appointments to come. I will no doubt be referred to a specialist and have to undergo a series of investigations, possibly treatment or medication as well. My blood pressure was 134 over 102. Not good. Things are falling apart girls! 

Bon, you are a good gramma for chipping in like you have been with your grandson. What a lucky little guy to have such a caring lady in his life. He will be well soon.

Robbie, I thought of that handsome soap star on Dancing with the Stars when I read about your husband's bicep injury. Did you see him pop that muscle on TV? Wow it was scary. Best of luck with the surgery and rehabilitation. I was never a runner but I always admired the people that are. If you can be a dedicated walker at this point in your life it is probably good enough. I had a chiropractor tell me once that having kids and menopause are way harder on a woman's body than most people realize. And he was a MAN!

Have a great weekend everyone! Closet cleaning today!

-Bex

 

 

wanted to share part of a joke sent to me. 

SIGNS OF MENOPAUSE :

 1. You sell your home heating system at a yard sale.

 2. You have to write post-it notes with your kids' names on them.

 3. You change your underwear after a sneeze

these all apply to me :)

After the last 2 wks of not caring what I ate or weighed I find I'm back on track.  Whatever the reasons, I've come to accept this ebb and flow of weight and willpower.  Maybe I've always been this way and just not noticed since I never logged food and activities before CC.

good luck in the tournament Bonton!

One: It's next to impossible to lose under stress--that darn cortisol is a killer, especially with belly fat. Pam Peake, one of my favorite resources, suggests the concept of "treading weight" during tough times. It's helped me lessen my stress load by lowering expectations on myself! Also, my oldest did have his moments in court; you will get through it. Lastly, I was 131-133 for almost a year before it broke. Hang in there!

Bonnie: If they tell actors break a leg, do they tell golfers break a club?

Bex: The heart thing is pretty scarey, but as you know, treatment options are so much better than even 10 years ago. My 87 year old Dad has had erratic heart beats for years (He calls them "erotic" heartbeats) and my 82 year old Mom is in congestive heart failure (which her Mom was in for 15 years before she died at 94), and the two of them are hosting a party for 40 friends tomorrow. So, be encouraged! My husband is no soap star, but he'll appreciate the comparison. I keep trying to come up with a silver lining, but the best I can do is, since he had a hip replacement in February, at least we've met our insurance deductible for the year!

Have a good day all.

Bex - What all was in that supplement you are taking?? I forget now - is there anything in that that could be giving you irregular heartbeats - even if it's not supposed to?? The reason I ask - my daughter - after her boyfriend died was getting depressed - we thought we would try St. john's wart before going to the Dr - wrong - it made her heart race something terrible! So we went to the Dr for medication. Just a thought unless it started before the supplement.

Played very well in the tournament today - I have learned I need to be rested to play well - like after a day of yard work I play terrible LOL ! It was a 2 person best ball blind draw for your partner. My partner and I won low net in our flight edging out my hubby and his parnter by a scorecard playoff! Both teams had a 78 net. I myself shot an 89 so i was very pleased! My hubby shot an 86!

My grandson was up most of the nightbut my daughter said he seems better today. Cried last night until he threw up. She said they ended up watching Charlotte's web at 2:30am to calm him down - his belly hurt and his mouth hurt. Poor little guy

ohio - I do think we all have those times where we are less than diligent with our diet and exercise!

robbie - LOL I've actually moved the scale 3x and checked my weight in each place I put the scale then I finally said -"hey... this is stupid!!" Now I try to just accept what it says and move on LOL Maybe look at the silver lining as he'll have new and repaired parts that will outlast the old ones!!

Tomorrow is my family reunion - we just started getting together 3 years ago after not getting together for over 10 years. After my Dad died it just all sort of fell apart ( My Mother died when i was 20) but 3 years ago i said we all needed to get together and that was the start of family  reunion picnics at my brother's house. I'm glad he offers to do it although we could use our camp - this way I don't have to clean up!! LOL

bonton, i love nemo and charlottes web!  that's too bad about your grandson.  at least you're watching movies with him & cleaning.  my gym sucks too.  i haven't been really hot lately, but it's just getting old & they're not keeping it up like they should.  enjoy your family reunion!

robbie, wow!  1 in 100,000?!  that sounds pretty rare & especially for someone built like him.  at least he can still ride his bike!  :D  i'm sure you'll be down soon.  hopefully, both of us on the same day!

when i move my scale around, it most always shows the same number unless i play with it too much.  LOL  then i'll suddenly gain a pound!  then i'll put it back where it was in the 1st place & the pound is still there.  it's like it gets tired or something. 

one, that number will go down.  don't worry.  sorry about all the stress!  but try eating & exercising different.  make changes!  that usually helps.

rebbex, sorry to hear about your tests & your blood pressure.  that sucks.  i hope everything works out for you.  :D

ohio, that was cute & it's good to see you back on track!